Mark Holterman, MD, is a board-certified pediatric surgeon who served as a professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine for more than two decades. He founded The Mariam Group to invest in companies seeking biotechnological solutions to global health problems. As CEO of the firm, Dr. Mark Holterman leads its efforts to advance biomedical research in several areas, including ethically sourced stem cell therapy.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that serve as a template for other cell types in the body. With the ability to differentiate into any cell type, stem cells can be used in therapy to replenish defective cells or restore dysfunctional organs in the body.

There are several types of stem cells including embryonic, non-embryonic, and induced pluripotent. Embryonic stem cells are obtained from human embryos, typically during the laboratory process of in-vitro fertilization. Non-embryonic stem cells are present in adult tissues such as bone marrow. Unlike embryonic stem cells, non-embryonic stem cells cannot differentiate into all types of cells. To overcome this limitation, scientists found a way to increase their differentiation potential by transforming them into induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. Both embryonic stem cells and iPSCs can develop into any type of cell in the body.

Stem cell therapy has many potential applications for chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes. In patients with type 1 diabetes, the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin are dysfunctional. Stem cells can restore pancreatic function in these patients by differentiating into healthy beta cells.

Another potential application for stem cell therapy is in the field of anti-aging. Over time, the human body undergoes degenerative changes such as loss of cartilage and muscle. Incorporating stem cells into anti-aging therapies can result in tissue regeneration.